CLEVELAND, OH – February 21, 2023 – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the below statement following calls by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to increase the maximum fees that railroads can be fined for safety violations.
“Rail companies and their lobbyists have chipped away at safety rules for decades, and now Ohioans in East Palestine are paying the price,” said Brown “We must work with DOT to create new rules for shipping hazardous materials to keep our communities safe. I echo DOT’s call for increased fines for the rail companies that break safety rules – we also need more inspections, better braking, and other safeguards, and I have spoken to the Governor and my colleagues in Congress about the need to introduce legislation quickly. We can’t let lobbyists stand in the way.”
Brown recently visited East Palestine and has sent several letters advocating for the residents of East Palestine. Today, Brown and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) sent a letter to the directors of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting additional information on plans to monitor East Palestine and the surrounding area for dioxins – a pollutant that can result from combustion of vinyl chloride and can be toxic to humans and animals.
Before his visit, Brown sent a letter to Governor Mike DeWine asking him to officially declare a disaster in East Palestine and seek the full support of the federal government to bolster the state of Ohio’s ongoing clean-up efforts. Brown also led letters to NTSB and EPA raising concerns and calling on the agencies investigate and provide assistance to the East Palestine community. He also wrote a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requesting the agency act immediately to provide additional assistance and resources to help the community assess and address the public health impacts of the derailment.
Brown joined a letter to Norfolk Southern Corporation President and CEO Alan Shaw reminding the company that as the carrier responsible for operating the derailed train, it has a legal and moral obligation to the residents of East Palestine, Ohio and Darlington Township, Pennsylvania.